MY HUSBAND'S FAVORITE MEXICAN CASSEROLE - THEN AND NOW

My husband loves casseroles and Mexican food and anything covered in cheese, probably even cheese covered in cheese. His favorite dish growing up his Mom called "Oklahoma casserole". My mother in law told me how to make it early in our marriage and it was a staple in our home for over 20 years. My boys loved it as well. Since we eat less processed food these days, I had to find a way to keep an old family favorite, but make it a little healthier.

ORIGINAL RECIPE

2 pounds ground beef 

1 can Spanish rice

1 can Ranch Style beans

Shredded cheddar cheese
FYI - I usually added a can of Rotel tomatoes

Brown the ground beef, add the rice & beans & mix well. Pour into casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake in 350 degree oven about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot and bubbly. 

HEALTHIER VERSION

2 pounds lean ground beef
onion, diced

1 cup brown rice

1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 or 2 wedges of Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese

1 can Ranch Style beans

Garlic, minced or garlic salt

Cumin

Chili powder

Place ground beef and onion in skillet (if it's too lean add a little coconut oil to the skillet) and cook until meat is brown and onions are tender. I season my ground beef with garlic salt or add minced garlic and salt, just whatever I have on hand. 

SPANISH RICE - While beef is cooking, cook rice according to directions. When rice is done, add tomatoes (juice & all), Laughing Cow cheese and mix together thoroughly. Then add garlic salt (or just salt and pepper, whatever your taste buds prefer), cumin and chili powder to taste. I don't measure much. I just put a few dashes of cumin and chili powder then mix it all together and taste. If it taste like it needs more, I add a little more. But be careful a little bit of cumin goes a long way. You could also add cilantro if your family likes it. We do not like cilantro.

NOTE: Adjust it to your taste. You don't have to add the Laughing Cow cheese to the rice if you don't want to. And I know that it is more processed than all natural cheese, but I love it and I love the flavor that it gives to the rice. My family LOVES garlic, but maybe your family doesn't. You can also add more beans or more tomatoes, just whatever you want.

Add spanish rice and beans to the skillet and mix together with the beef. Pour it all in a 13 x 9 casserole dish, cover with shredded cheese (our favorite is cheddar and monterey jack) and bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot and bubbly.

Grant likes this casserole with "hoe cakes" or "griddle cakes". My Dad loved "hoe cakes" as well. My Dad fried them in about 2 inches of vegetable oil so they were very greasy. Then he buttered them! LOL. I don't use vegetable oil anymore and we really don't like greasy food so I just spray my pancake griddle with coconut oil spray. For "hoe cakes", I use the recipe on the back of the Quaker yellow cornmeal box, but I make these changes:

1 use more cornmeal and less flour (I ALWAYS use ORGANIC UNBLEACHED flour). On the box - I use the measurement for flour for the cornmeal and the cornmeal measurement for the flour. And instead of vegetable oil, I use coconut oil. I just melt the coconut oil in a glass measuring cup in the microwave about 15-20 seconds. I also use organic raw honey instead of the refined white sugar.

Get your griddle hot, spray with cooking spray (I prefer coconut oil spray - it is a LOT healthier) and cook them like you would pancakes.

I know that these are not the healthiest dishes, but we do live in the South and these types of dishes are what Southern people like to eat. We don't eat this very often anymore. I used to make it at least every 2 weeks, now I only make it a couple of times a year. But at least it has a little more nutrition in it than the original version. I hope you try it. If you do, let me know what you think.

Blessings to you & yours,
Lori 

SAUSAGE CHEDDAR BALLS

WARNING - THIS RECIPE IS NOT HEALTHY! But, it is worth indulging in occasionally. This is one of my most requested recipes and I am expected to bring my sausage balls to certain get togethers. They are also my BCF, Larissa's, birthday treat every year. When my boys were little, I would make double batches about one weekend a month, put them in ziplock bags & on busy mornings I would pull them out of the freezer, take out a couple for each kid, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for a couple of minutes, throw the kids in the car and GO.  Isn't that the life of every busy working mom?

My family loves sausage. I know it is not healthy, but it is one of the foods that my family thinks is worth keeping in our diet. We try to eat clean 80-85% of the time. We are very diligent about refined sugars, food dyes, etc. but we love food too much to ever go completely organic and we are too busy to be obsessing about what to eat & what not to eat all the time.  So, we eat sausage once or twice a week and we enjoy it. We do limit our refined flours also. I have tried using gluten free baking mix and tried brown rice flour and whole wheat flour for the sausage balls and my guys said "NO! Do not mess with the sausage balls!" So here is how I make the sausage balls that my guys, my friends & my family love. I have eaten lots of dry sausage balls. My friend, Diane, told me to add a little milk to keep them from drying out and I have been doing that now for at least 15 years.  I hope you enjoy them.

And I have to add, since I take Plexus I can splurge more without having arthritis and neuropathy flareups. I've been splurging more than I should lately and even though I'm not hurting and I feel great, I'm not losing any weight, so I've got to get back to keeping my splurges to a minimum.

FYI - I am picky about the brand of sausage I use. I only use Blue & Gold sausage or Braum's sausage. We love Braum's Hot sausage & it gives the sausage balls a little kick. The only semi-healthy change I have gotten away with is sometimes I will make a batch with 1 stick of regular sausage and 1 stick of turkey sausage. When you use turkey sausage you have to be very careful about it drying out because it has no fat. You can add a tablespoon or 2 of plain Greek Yogurt to your mixture to help hold it together. Also, if using turkey sausage only use 2 cups of flour instead of 3.

SAUSAGE CHEDDAR BALLS

1 pound of Braum's Hot sausage or Blue & Gold sausage
3 cups Bisquick
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk

OPTION - instead of milk, you can add 1/4 cup of Ranch dressing. Grant loves Ranch dressing & loves it in his sausage balls, but my husband does not.

Place sausage, Bisquick and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Pour in milk. Using your hands, mix together thoroughly (if it is a little dry, add a little more milk). Roll into golf ball size balls. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 25-30 minutes.

TIP - I wear disposal gloves to mix it up, then when I'm done, I just throw the gloves away and my hands are clean. :)

I hope you get to go out and enjoy the sunshine this weekend.

Lori

FIRST FRUITS/DANIEL FAST DAY 12 - HOW HE LOVES US

Good morning! Here we are at day 12 of our annual Fast. How are you doing? I'm hearing some great reports from some people that are fasting. Like I told you before, the first week I was discouraged about some things, but God showed up last week. He caused some things to happen that we've been praying about for a long time. I know it's not easy, but hang in there, you will be so glad you did.

FOOD - Again, Daniel Fast is no meat, no breads and no sweets, BUT it is all between you and God. We allow ourselves tortillas because we are so busy and it is easy for us to wrap something up in a tortilla and eat it on the go. Yesterday I made burritos for us to eat on for a few days. These were super fast and easy. Here's what I did:

2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 can chili beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder (more if you want)
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1-2 teaspoons pepper
cheese (your favorite, we like cheddar with this)
ALL SPICES CAN BE ADJUSTED TO YOUR TASTE

I cooked rice in microwave according to directions. When rice is done, add all other ingredients and mix together thoroughly. I wanted to add corn to this also but Kevin didn't want me to. I think corn would be good in it. Heat coconut oil in skillet or spray a griddle with non stick spray. Put some of the mixture and cheese in middle of tortilla, wrap up like a burrito, place in hot oil or on hot griddle and cook until outside becomes golden brown on both sides. I put in individual ziplock bags so we can take to work for our lunches this week.

The last few days I have been completely overwhelmed by how much God loves me. Then yesterday morning, my Pastor preached on that as well. Pastor Phil said "If He gave His son, what would He withhold from us?" Can you imagine giving up your child. Knowing that you are sending him to be persecuted and tortured, to die a horrible death. I love my boys so much. I don't think I could do it. But God loves us so much and Jesus loves us so much that they did it just for me and just for you. Jesus didn't have to come. He could have said "no". The David Crowder song "Oh, How He Loves Us" keeps playing in my head. Here's a link to the video for you. Listen closely to the words and meditate on how much God loves you. There is absolutely nothing that you could ever do to make Him stop loving you. I am so thankful for His amazing grace, His mercy and that He loves me unconditionally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ

Have a blessed week!

Lori

FIRST FRUITS DANIEL FAST DAY 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR! That comes with mixed emotions. 2013 was a year of heartache and blessings for me and my family, but so was 2012, 2011 & 2010. I am believing that all curses are broken and my household is moving into a year of blessings and favor. My youngest has been set free from drug addiction by the grace of God and for that we are truly thankful. But he still has some strongholds that need to be torn down and some maturing to do. Kevin got a new healthy kidney. We are overwhelmed at that incredible gift of life that God blessed us with. We are believing that he is going to be the healthiest transplant patient there has ever been. My sweet sister in love had two miscarriages last year. I still cry every time I think about it. She is now 7 weeks pregnant. Praise God! They are going to be such wonderful parents. I am so proud of them and so happy for them. And I can't wait to be the most awesome aunt ever!! This kid is going to be spoiled rotten!

We also started our own business in 2013 with Plexus Worldwide. We love the products and the company is incredible. Their compensation plan beats all others hands down. Between working full time, dialysis, then transplant, dealing with our son's rebellious behavior, then driving back & forth constantly to OKC and Lawton, we have not had much time to work at building our business so we are way behind most people that signed up when we did. We believe that God is going to send more customers and add ambassadors to our team in 2014. I want our team to have incredible testimonies of healing and transformation. I truly believe that these products were divinely inspired and that God is using them to help so many people get healthier than they have ever been.

Kevin and I started our fast today. This morning we had oatmeal and orange juice for breakfast. We have to eat black eyed peas today so I'm planning on making a stir fry with brown rice, black eyed peas, corn and onions and of course garlic. I always have to have garlic.

For our devotional during the fast we are using Jentezen Franklin's The Fasting Edge Journal. Today's passage was talking about recovering your passion. If you find yourself not feeling God's presence like you once did, fasting and prayer is a great way to draw closer to God and rekindle that passion that you may have lost. Passion is contagious. Lack of passion is contagious also. Remember to pray for your Pastor, worship leaders, deacons and other church leaders. They need our prayers and support. "The altar is not just for those coming to the Lord for the first time.  The altar is a place to get free from that thing that weighs you down and drowns out your fiery passion for God. Alterations are made at the altar. The altar is a place to alter your direction and get back on the right track with God."

"Pray that over the course of these twenty one days God will give you a new passion, a renewing of your first love, of the days when all you wanted to do was read His Word and spend time praying and worshiping Him".

Here's a link to a black eyed pea soup. It has meat in it but you can just leave out the meat and it would still be good.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-Hoppin-John-Soup/Detail.aspx?soid=carousel_0_rotd&prop24=rotd

I'm praying for you all and I can't wait to hear about the great things that God has done for you through this time of prayer and fasting.

Many blessings,
Lori

WHOLE GRAIN PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE WITH COCONUT SUGAR

My husband's appetite is back! The last 4 years he has not had much of an appetite. He said nothing tasted good to him and of course, being on dialysis, he didn't feel real good most of the time. Before he got sick, he had a huge appetite. And he has always had an enormous sweet tooth. One of his favorite cakes is Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I used to make it with Bisquick and lots of brown sugar. So, since we have cut back on processed foods and are trying to eat more nutritiously, I decided to try to make a more nutritious Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

First step was NO Bisquick. Then had to replace the brown sugar for a more nutritious option. I've posted several recipes using coconut palm sugar. My family loves it! And it is a good feeling to know that I am feeding them a sweet treat that is actually nutritious and not going to harm them. Coconut sugar has a low glycemic index so it is safe for diabetics. It is high in several minerals including potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Here is a link to a couple of good articles on coconut sugar.  http://www.naturalnews.com/030120_coconut_sugar_sweetener.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/280219-healing-benefits-of-coconut-palm-sugar/

WHOLE GRAIN PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1 - 15 1/4 ounce can crushed or sliced pineapple, drained

BATTER
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup organic coconut palm sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pineapple juice (from the crushed pineapple)

1 cup organic oat flour
1/2 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk

1.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch round baking pan; heat in oven until melted.  Remove pan from oven and tilt pan to coat bottom and sides with butter.

2.   Mix coconut sugar, nutmeg & cinnamon together and sprinkle onto bottom of buttered pan.

3.    Spread pineapple over sugar mixture.

4.   For batter - in a large bowl, beat butter and coconut sugar until blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and pineapple juice.

5.   In another bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and salt together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  I do it in thirds.

6.   Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7.   Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

I put 4 maraschino cherries on the cake for Kevin. He loves them, but he doesn't get them very often anymore. Now that we know about HFCS and red dye! Scary!
I know I don't take good pictures. Sorry. You can tell it doesn't look like your traditional pineapple upside down cake which is yellow or white. We have to get past that idea that white food is pretty. Most white food is not healthy. Whole grains have color and texture.

Pineapple upside down cake

VARIATIONS:
You can replace one of the flours for white flour if you don't like the texture of whole grain flours. But, please, use organic unbleached white flour.  At least it isn't loaded with chemicals like regular flour.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband did!

Blessings to you all,

Lori 

FISH TACOS & CABBAGE

I LOVE FISH!! I love to catch fish. I love to eat fish. I don't love to clean fish. And I love to eat just about any kind of fish. I could eat fish almost every day. My new obsession is fish tacos. They are delicious & healthy. What more could you ask for? Kevin does not share my love of fish tacos. He also does not share my love...well, obsession with fish. He LIKES to fish and he LIKES to eat fish, he just does not LOVE it the way that I do. The last few months, I have made fish tacos at least once a week.

I usually use tilapia. You can use any kind of fish you want. My family prefers the mild flavor of tilapia. Tilapia is known as "The Bible Fish" or "St. Peter's Fish". It is the main fish eaten in Biblical times. Tilapia feed on algae and plants. They are not scavengers. It is a very clean fish. Tilapia has very low levels of mercury. The only drawback is that it is low in Omega 3's.

We love spicy food, so for Kevin & I, I coat ours in cayenne pepper. When I cook fish for people that don't like spicy, I usually just use garlic & paprika and of course, always salt.

I try to eat cabbage at least 2-3 times a week. Cabbage is very anti inflammatory and my body feels good when I eat it. As a matter of fact, after I have had my weekly "splurge" meal, I almost always follow it up with a bowl of cabbage to help clean my body out. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable. It is high in fiber, manganese, calcium, potassium, magnesium, chlorophyll and has small amounts of iron and zinc. It is also high in vitamins C, K, A, B6, B1 & B2. Some studies have shown that eating cabbage on a regular basis significantly lowers the risk of breast cancer. It is also proven to help fight anemia & colon cancer. It detoxes & heals the colon & boosts the immune system. Doesn't that make you want to eat more cabbage?

My favorite way to eat fish tacos is on corn tortillas heated in coconut oil with cabbage, sour cream & salsa. So here is how I make fish tacos. It is super easy and only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. As always, play around with it. Change the flavors to suit your own taste.

NOTE: I use frozen tilapia fillets. I live in Oklahoma. I don't live by an ocean or sea. And I'm pretty sure the tilapia in my grocery store was not caught the same day it was placed in the window and labeled "fresh". Frozen fish is frozen the same day it is caught. That "fresh" fish behind the glass around here has probably been frozen and thawed more than once. I put the package in a bowl of hot water & it thaws out very quickly. Usually by the time I get my cabbage slaw & everything else ready, the fish is thawed.

FISH TACOS

Tilapia fillets
olive oil or coconut oil (I bet grapeseed oil would be good also)
cayenne pepper
garlic salt or garlic powder & salt
paprika
tortillas - your favorite

Fish taco slaw
1 cup shredded cabbage
1-2 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1-3 tablespoons salsa

1)  In a small bowl mix cabbage, sour cream & salsa together. Set aside.
2)  Heat oil in a skillet. FYI - cooking in cast iron adds more iron to the food you eat.
3)  Sprinkle or coat fish with garlic salt, cayenne & paprika. Or whatever other flavors you like. Just garlic and basil is yummy also. I very liberally coat ours in cayenne.
4)  Carefully place fish in HOT oil. (If your oil is not hot enough the fish will stick) Cook about 4-6 minutes on each side.
5) Heat a couple teaspoons of coconut oil in skillet. Cook tortillas in oil a couple of minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Adds such great flavor to tortillas plus tons of health benefits from the coconut oil.
6) Place fish in center of tortilla, spread slaw over fish & eat.

This is one of the fastest, easiest and healthiest meals you can make. I hope you enjoy. If you love fish as much as I do, give me a shout out.

EAT TO LIVE, DON'T LIVE TO EAT

Blessings to you all,
Lori

VEGETABLE BEEF STEW

It is the end of February and Oklahoma is expecting a winter storm to hit tonight or tomorrow. February in Oklahoma can be 80 degrees or it can be 8 degrees, you just never know. We never put away shorts and flip flops because sometimes we can wear them all year long.

There is nothing better on a cold winter day than the smell of good food simmering in a crockpot. I love crockpots. They are a working Mom's friend. Throw some meat & veggies in, go to work and when you get home dinner is ready. Today I've got vegetable beef stew simmering away. The house smells fantastic and all my guys are ready to dig in. My husband says that is the smell of love.

Beef stew is another one of those dishes that everyone makes different. Some people like a beef broth based stew, but I'm not a big fan of beef broth. I make a tomato sauce based stew and all of my family loves it. Remember to read your labels when purchasing tomato sauces and other canned tomato products. Most manufacturers sneak sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup in there and we don't need that extra sugar and chemicals. 

When using the crockpot, I use a lot of frozen veggies. They are fast and easy to throw in and a lot of frozen veggies actually have more vitamins than fresh. Veggies and fruit begin losing their nutritive value the moment they are picked, so if they sit around your grocery store for days or weeks, you are not going to get a lot of nutrients out of them. However, frozen veggies and fruits are usually frozen the same day they are picked so they retain most of their vitamins. 

You can use whatever veggies your family likes in this stew. I usually use okra instead of green beans because we like okra better and okra is more anti inflammatory, but my grocer was out of okra, so I used green beans today. I make a big pot full because we like to eat on it for a few days. It is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day. My family likes to eat it with cornbread or hoe cakes. If you don't know what a hoe cake is, it is cornbread batter fried in oil into the shape of pancakes. You spread butter all over the fried cornbread and then moan at how delicious it is. These days I fry them in coconut oil so at least they are a little healthier. 

VEGETABLE BEEF STEW

4 pounds of stew meat or chuck roast cut into chunks

roast covered in worcestershire & garlic salt

Garlic salt

Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins has no HFCS & fewer chemicals)

2 - 15 ounce cans tomato sauce (read your labels, no sugar or HFCS)

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 onion, sliced

2-4 potatoes, cut in chunks

1 bag frozen carrots

1 bag frozen cut okra or green beans

2 cups frozen corn

Coat meat in worcestershire sauce and sprinkle liberally with garlic salt. 

searing 

Option 1 - drizzle olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Get oil very hot. Add meat and sear 3-4 minutes on each side. Put meat into crockpot. You don't want to cook it, just get a good crust on it. This is not necessary, but it does add another layer of flavor. 

Option 2 - Put the meat in the crockpot without searing. It will still taste fine and cook thoroughly. I do this when I am in a hurry and don't have the time to sear it. 

Add veggies, Rotel and tomato sauce. You can add a couple of shots of hot sauce if you want. Fill your tomato sauce can with water and add to pot. You may need to add another can or two of water depending on how liquidy you want it. Just make sure you have enough liquid to keep everything moist. 

Cook on High 3-4 hours or on Low 6-8 hours. Of course, if you are cooking for one or two people, you can halve this recipe very easily. 

Stay safe and warm. And as always, try to eat more of the foods that God made and less of the "foods" that man made. 

Wishing you all good health, lots of love and happy eating!

Lori 

BAKED BEANS WITH COCONUT SUGAR

I fully intended to post this before Christmas, but failed to do so. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. Ours was different this year. My oldest son didn't make it home due to ice and snow. He offered to brave the storm, but it is not worth the risk. So, hopefully we will see him next weekend. There a lot of pros and cons to having grown children. The worst thing for me is that I don't get to spend enough time with him. We have always been very close and so this is very hard on me.

When I was growing up, my Dad's family would all gather at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. Grandma always made ham, potato salad and baked beans. This is one of my favorite meals. At Thanksgiving, the only thing I would eat was sweet potatoes and a roll until I was in my twenties. I didn't like turkey or dressing or mashed potatoes or cranberry sauce or pecan pie or pumpkin pie, etc. Yes, I was a picky eater. But, I always looked forward to Christmas Eve dinner. My dad always liked ham, potato salad and baked beans as well. So, after Grandma passed away, we carried on the tradition. The last Christmas Eve that my Dad was with us, he ate 3 helpings of my baked beans. He said they got better every year and now they were perfect. I cherish that memory. He died 2 weeks later. So now every time I make baked beans, I think of my Dad and my Grandma and wish they were sitting there eating them with me. 

I always used pork and beans to make baked beans. However, pork and beans have high fructose corn syrup in them! I know, CRAZY! Isn't it! So, I've been trying to come up with a recipe for baked beans that is healthier and lower in sugar. 

Of course, everyone knows that beans are good for you. They are high in fiber and protein and also have significant amounts of folate, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc and Vitamin B6. 

I've been doing research on coconut sugar and using it in place of brown sugar in recipes with great results. I live in a small town of 25,000 and the only place in my town that carries it is our small health food store. However, all of the larger health food stores carry it and you can buy it online at Amazon or Vitacost. 

Coconut sugar is much better for you than refined sugar for many reasons. Here are a few: 

*   It does not spike your blood sugar and is safe for diabetics; 

*   It is unrefined so it retains all of its natural minerals and vitamins; 

*   Contains Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc.

Coconut sugar is a great substitute for white sugar or brown sugar. Because it is unrefined, it has a grainy texture. If you want it "finer" just pulse it in a food processor a few times. 

   

So, here is a recipe for healthier baked beans. No HFCS, low glycemic, high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. And since we've upped the nutrition factor in so many ways, a little bit of bacon isn't going to hurt you, but it sure does make these beans YUMMY. FYI - bacon doesn't scare me near as much as HFCS, aspartame, and all those other chemicals that are labeled as "food". 

BAKED BEANS

1 large onion, diced

5-7 strips of bacon, chopped

2 - 16 ounce cans pinto beans, navy beans or 1 of each 

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/4 cup ketchup (NO HFCS)

1 tsp Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce (NO HFCS)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar, but coconut is healthier)

Saute bacon and onion in a skillet until onion is tender and bacon is crisp. 

Drain the liquid from one can of beans, but use the liquid in the other can. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together including bacon and onion. 

Place in square casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

NOTE: Before putting in the casserole dish, taste to see if any of the ingredients need to be adjusted. If you like them sweeter add a little more sugar or honey. If you like them spicier, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a shot of hot sauce. The great thing about cooking is that you can adjust ingredients to your liking. In my opinion, recipes are only suggestions and ideas. I very rarely go by a recipe as it is written. 

I pray that 2013 brings you many blessings including love, good health and prosperity. 

Lori 

THANKSGIVING AND WASSAIL IN A CROCKPOT

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was different this year, but wonderful. It was a day full of family, friends that are like family, food and laughter. My brother had go to work that evening. He is a truck driver so he is gone a few days at a time. His beautiful wife went to Louisiana to have Thanksgiving with her sister, so my brother came and ate with us before he left for work. I am 15 years older than him, so I have always treated him more like a son than a brother. I am so thankful that God has blessed him with such a sweet wife that takes such good care of him. And I am so proud of him for being such a hard worker and taking care of her.

My new daughter in love is from Colombia, South America, and of course, since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, her family does not celebrate Thanksgiving. We invited them over to teach them about Thanksgiving. They enjoyed the food and even though they do not speak much English and we speak no Spanish, we are learning to communicate well. I think their favorite foods were turkey, dressing and broccoli & rice casserole.

That afternoon Kevin's Mom and Grandma came by to visit. Grandma will be 90 years old this month! She is moving a lot slower, but she still gets around.

Later that evening my dear friend, Jaree and her sweet girls came by to eat and visit. My heart was overflowing with thankfulness for all the wonderful people that God has placed in my life.

I started cooking on Sunday in order for everything to be ready to eat by 2:00 on Thursday. So, here is how the week went down:

Sunday - baked pecan pie (without corn syrup) and placed in freezer.

Monday - Made cranberry chutney.

Tuesday - placed turkey in brine (apple juice, orange juice, garlic, salt, pepper & thyme); cooked cornbread for dressing; baked brownies for trifle & made Cole's favorite chocolate crackle cookies.

Wednesday - Made lemon meringue pie, key lime pie, chocolate pudding for trifle and pumpkin roll. Boiled eggs. Took pecan pie out of freezer to thaw.

Thursday - Up early to get turkey out of brine & wash off excess salt. Baked turkey (stuffed orange, apple, garlic in cavity, rubbed olive oil, salt & pepper all over before roasting - juiciest turkey ever!).  Made broccoli & rice casserole in crockpot. Prepared cornbread dressing with sausage & apples; candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows; deviled eggs; Rhodes frozen Texas rolls (my guys' favorite rolls); put Grant's butterfinger brownie trifle together and made Wassail in another crockpot.












My neck decided to get stuck again on Sunday. Great timing! I have herniated discs, damaged nerves & all kinds of nice & painful things in my neck & back. It hasn't hurt that bad in several months, but my neck locked up on me and had a pinched nerve that shot through my right shoulder & caused my right hand to go numb. I am EXTREMELY right handed and had a whole lot of cooking to get done, so this was not good! I would get as much done as I could while Kevin was on the machine and when he got off dialysis, he would stir and mix for me. I hate taking pain medicine, but didn't have time to slow down, so I was popping Aleve and Advil just to keep going. I was in so much pain. I absolutely could not have gotten it all done without Kevin's help.

I didn't try to "healthy" everything up too much. I had way too much to do and not a lot of time to do it in and I wanted Tiffany's family to have a traditional Oklahoma Thanksgiving.  I did, however, use Truvia baking blend in all my baked goods. It is a blend of Truvia & sugar, so it's not sugar free, but it's low sugar. Everything baked up beautifully, except the meringue. As far as taste goes, you can't tell a difference in the taste or texture at all. But the meringue didn't get big & fluffy like it does with real sugar.

Hot apple cider or Wassail is one of Cole's favorite things. It also makes your house smell sooooo good! I make it in a slow cooker.  Tiffany's family loved it and so did Jaree's girls. Here is how we do wassail:

WASSAIL IN A CROCKPOT

2 - 64 ounce bottles of apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1 can sliced pineapples
1 or 2 oranges, sliced
5-6 cinnamon sticks
handful of red hots (optional)

Place all ingredients (including the pineapple juice) in a crockpot on low setting, or you can put on high, then turn it down once it gets hot.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season full of love, peace, laughter and happiness.

Lori

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

I've been playing around with different cranberry recipes the last few years and the one I made last year was the biggest hit with my family. I was shocked that it became my teenage son's favorite Thanksgiving food, except for chocolate pie. Nothing will ever replace chocolate as his favorite food.

I'm not sure what to call it. It's not really a salad, maybe more of a chutney or relish. Adding a little jalapeno and serving it over a block of cream cheese really put it over the top. The tartness of the cranberries combined with the sweetness of the orange and pineapple plus the little kick from the jalapeno is delicious.

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

1 - 12 ounce pkg of fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup Stevia or Ideal
1/2 cup orange juice (or zest & juice of one orange)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

OPTIONAL - chopped pecans or walnuts

                       1 jalapeno (seeded & chopped)

Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. The cranberries will burst open and will spit at you, so be careful and keep little ones away.

Once it thickens, stir in crushed pineapple, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts or jalapeno, if using. Stir for a few minutes until thoroughly combined.

It will be chunky. If you want to leave it chunky, that is fine. Or, ONCE IT HAS COOLED, you can take an immersion blender and blend it up a little. You could also put it in a blender. This does help break up the tiny seeds that you get from the fresh cranberries.

Let it chill for a few hours or overnight. Can serve alone or over a block of cream cheese with crackers. If you love cream cheese as much I do, you are definitely going to want to try this.

NOTE: If you want to thicken it up a little more, add a little Wondra or cornstarch mixed with water. I found a great thickener online at King Arthur Flour Company. It thickens without clumping.

P.S. I just looked up chutney in the dictionary and it says chutney is a mixture of sweet and sour flavors, such as fruits, combined with spices. So, Cranberry Chutney it is!

Wishing you all a very blessed Thanksgiving,

Lori

QUINOA CHICKEN SPAGHETTI (GLUTEN FREE)

I'm really excited about sharing this recipe with you. This is a gluten free, high fiber, high protein, no processed foods, casserole dish. My husband, teenage son and his friends can't get enough of it. I'm going to have to start making two pans at a time. It also makes great leftovers.

I used to be the Queen of cooking with canned soups. I bought cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup 5 cans at a time. It was so easy to mix in a can of soup into some rice or pasta or pour over some meat, sprinkle with cheese and everybody loved it. Fast & easy. But, those canned soups are loaded with sodium, preservatives and lots of chemicals that apparently my liver didn't like too well and now I also know aggravates my arthritis. So trying to cook meals my guys enjoy eating without using the canned soups has been very challenging.

Also, since throwing out most of the processed foods, Kevin's blood tests have improved greatly. We have to draw blood once or twice a month and mail it to a lab for testing. The lab sends the results to his nephrologist that he sees once a month. The doctor and nurses are just amazed that his numbers have improved so much (i.e., calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, etc.). If that's what eating REAL food can do for someone whose kidneys don't work, just imagine what it can do for a normal person! All of those chemicals and preservatives put so much stress on all of your organs.

Since I can't eat regular pasta because of diabetes and arthritis, finding good pasta alternatives has been a challenge as well. I like whole wheat pasta and can tolerate it in small amounts, but have noticed my body feels better when I use brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta.

Quinoa is now considered a superfood. It is gluten free, anti inflammatory, high in fiber, high in protein, loaded with heart healthy fats, magnesium, Vitamin E, calcium and many other "good for you" things too numerous to list. Quinoa is great for diabetics and of course, anyone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. This quinoa pasta can be found at any natural food store or in the organic section of the grocery store.

QUINOA CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

16 ounces quinoa spaghetti

3-4 cups chicken, cooked & shredded

 

½ stick butter or olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (green or red)

1 cup mushrooms, sliced or chopped

3 tbsp flour (all purpose or gluten free) 

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

2 tsp minced garlic

Salt & pepper

2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar, Italian, your favorite)

Cook quinoa according to package directions MINUS 1-2 minutes, pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Drain & place in large bowl with shredded chicken.

Melt butter or heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Add chopped veggies and cook until veggies are soft.

Add flour to veggies in skillet and sauté until flour is incorporated into mixture. Whisk in chicken broth. Whisk a couple of minutes, then add milk. Continue to whisk until it reaches gravy like consistency. Add garlic, salt & pepper and mix in well.

Add sauce to pasta and chicken and stir together until thoroughly combined. Transfer to greased 13x9 casserole dish.  Top with your favorite shredded cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees 25-35 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

NOTE:  My husband loves cheddar cheese and I love white cheeses (provolone, mozzarella, etc.), so I put cheddar on half and shredded Italian cheese blend on the other half. My son's friend scooped out of the middle because he wanted both. Ha ha!

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does.

Blessings to you all,

Lori  

CHILI FOR A CROWD

The annual Red River Rivalry is this weekend. Oklahoma and Texas football fans will be glued to their television screens. It is supposed to be cool and rainy. All of these things add up to perfect chili weather. Here is my family's favorite chili recipe. Enjoy!    BOOMER SOONER! 

LORI'S CHILI FOR A CROWD

6 pounds of ground beef, ground turkey or ½ of each

3 packages Williams original chili seasoning unsalted

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

3-4 cans tomato sauce (depending on how moist you want it)

1 large onion – chopped

Minced garlic (to taste, I use about 3 teaspoons)

Salt

Paprika

McCormick Hot Shot (Black & Red Pepper blend)

McCormick Mexican Chili Powder

Louisiana Hot Sauce (OPTIONAL – a few shots or more if you like it hot)

Shaved or chopped dark chocolate (OPTIONAL – 1-2 ounces at the end – adds great depth)

Brown beef and/or turkey with chopped onion in a family size skillet or 2 regular skillets.  Salt meat and add 3-4 shakes of Hot Shot (depending on how spicy you want it) while browning.

In a large saucepan, Dutch oven or crockpot, add browned meat, Rotel tomatoes and chili seasoning packets. Thoroughly mix together.  Add 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can tomato paste and mix thoroughly. If you need more moisture, add more tomato sauce.  After it reaches desired consistency, add minced garlic and a few shakes of Mexican Chili Powder.  You can also add the dark chocolate at this time. Mix thoroughly and let simmer for at least an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

All ingredients can be adjusted to your specific tastes. If you don’t like it too spicy, leave out the McCormick Hot Shot and Rotel tomatoes.   

NOTE: I use a meat mixture of 80-90% ground round or ground chuck and ground turkey. It cuts down on the fat content, but when allowed to simmer so spices can meld together, you can’t tell it has turkey meat in it. I've also used 1/2 beef and 1/2 deer meat and it was just as good. Deer meat is extremely lean and good quality protein. 

Using low fat meat in this recipe makes it really healthy. Lots of lean protein, very low fat and loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. 

Blessings to you all,

Lori 

FALL CAMPING 2012

I LOVE FALL!! We go camping every Fall with our friends, The Beanes. Teri enjoys the gorgeous Fall weather as much as I do, so it works out well. We take a stack of books... now she takes her Kindle, I am still in the stone age and still take my stack of books. We relax, read, sit by the campfire & just enjoy the beauty of the season. This year, my cousin, Larissa, and her husband, Eric, borrowed his parents' RV & came with us. Larissa is related to both of us. Larissa's Mom is Teri's cousin. Larissa's Dad was my Dad's brother. The more we spend time together, the more we realize how much alike we are. I am so thankful to have her and her "Hottie" in our lives.

We had so much fun. Our wonderful hubbies cooked an awesome breakfast for us each morning.


We have always taken our dachshund, Slick, camping with us. She is almost 20 years old & not getting around very good, so she stayed home with Grant. As we were loading the RV to get ready to go, she sat at the bottom of the steps & cried. It was so sad.  I think it really hurt her feelings when we took Hank & Lucy instead. Hank & Lucy had a great time. They were very well behaved especially considering they are only 9 months old. They didn't stay the whole time. We were concerned about having them in the RV while doing dialysis, so I took them back home.

We take the dialysis machine & equipment with us & do it in the RV. We were getting ready to hook him up and realized that we forgot to bring needles. My son and his wife had come down to visit since we were so close to Durant and Tiffany remembered that she had seen a dialysis clinic in Durant. She quickly found the phone number and after calling Kevin's dialysis nurse, Tiff & I made a trip into Durant and "borrowed" needles from the Durant Dialysis Clinic. We are so thankful that we have an RV and that we can take the equipment with us, but we are sure hoping that this is the last time we have to do that. Hopefully he will have a new kidney and feeling great the next time we go camping.

One of the easiest meals to make while camping or anytime, is a "boil".  Everyone calls it something different. Some call it Frogmore Stew, others Shrimp Boil, Crawfish Boil, etc. We use a turkey fryer. Fill the pot with water (I think it would taste even better if you used chicken broth), add 2 packages of Old Bay or Zatarains seasoning. When the water starts to boil add an onion (cut into chunks), small potatoes or chunks of potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender, probably 10-15 minutes. Then add frozen small corn of the cob. Cook another 5-8 minutes. Then add smoked sausage and/or brats. Cook another 5 minutes. Add fresh or frozen shrimp and cook another 5 minutes. Serve on newspapers, platters or large bowls. You can add as much or little of each of these items as you want or need, depending on how many are eating and what your favorites are. You can use crawfish or frog legs or crab legs, etc. There's really no set way to do it. Just throw in whatever you like. Just remember to put the item that has to cook the longest in first, then the rest according to how much cooking time they require. Shrimp only requires a few minutes of cooking time. If cooked too long, it gets tough & rubbery. Easy one pot meal and very little mess.

Happy Fall!

Blessings to you all,
Lori

NOT YO MOMMA'S MEATLOAF

While growing up meatloaf was a regular at my family's dinner table. While the rest of the family ate meatloaf, I usually ate a bologna sandwich. I hated meatloaf. For years I thought all meatloaf was dry and flavorless and could not understand why so many people loved it so much. One night many years ago, my husband asked me why I never made meatloaf and I told him it was dry and disgusting. So we talked about what we liked and didn't like and I decided to try to make a meatloaf using the flavors that we knew we liked. Of course, as with a lot of my recipes, it has Rotel tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce in it. I do buy these items in bulk when I go to Sam's.

I know this meatloaf is not for everybody. But, if you are like me and have stayed away from meatloaf because you thought it was all dry and tasteless, I promise you that this is one the moistest and most flavorful meatloaf you have will ever eat.

Healthy note - This works well with 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 ground beef. The tomatoes, onion and peppers add lots of nutrients and antioxidants. Adding oats to the mixture is a sneaky way to add some fiber.

I urge you to read ALL labels. Hunts is the ONLY tomato sauce that I have found in this area that does NOT have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other chemicals in it. Also Lea & Perrins is the ONLY Worcestershire sauce I have found without a bunch of junk in it. HFCS is scary stuff. It is toxic to your body, especially your pancreas and liver and it causes inflammation in the body which creates pain and stiffness. And if you are diabetic, you really need to stay away from it because when it hits your blood stream it instantly raises your blood sugar.  Since I have degenerative arthritis, which is an inflammatory disease, I have noticed that any time I eat anything with HFCS it causes swelling & inflammation in my body to the point that the pain is almost incapacitating. Since I have eaten HFCS FREE & focus on eating anti inflammatory foods, the swelling & pain has drastically decreased. If you have pain or any inflammatory disease (arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, etc.), try avoiding HFCS and eat more fruits & veggies. Try it for 2 weeks and I guarantee you will see a huge difference. It really upsets me that our government allows food manufacturers to put so many toxic chemicals in our food. Sorry. That is my rant for the day. I hope you try this recipe and that your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

MEATLOAF

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tbsps olive oil or coconut oil

3 lbs ground beef (or ½ each ground turkey & gr beef)

1 cup Oats

1 sleeve saltine crackers (or 1 cup of breadcrumbs)

1 can Rotel tomatoes

2 eggs

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (I only use Lea & Perrin’s – NO HFCS)

Garlic salt (to your taste- I use a LOT)

2-4 tsps McCormick Hot Shot (or just regular black pepper)

1/4 cup tomato sauce (I only use Hunt’s - NO HFCS)

Saute onion and peppers in oil until soft.  In a large bowl mix all above ingredients together with hands.  Place mixture in 13x9 pan and bake at 350 about 45 minutes. Pour sauce (recipe below) over top and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

SAUCE

1 regular size can tomato sauce

2 tbs mustard

1/4 cup ketchup (Hunt’s has NO HFCS)

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar + 1/4cup honey)

Mix together well and pour over top of meatloaf. Bake for 10-15 minutes more. 

Wishing you all many blessings and much love, 

Lori 

WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Kevin loves enchiladas and for years I have made chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup. Since we don't eat canned soups or processed foods anymore, I had to come up with a different recipe for chicken enchiladas. The Joyful Momma's White Chicken enchiladas  have spread like wildfire on Pinterest and does not use any canned soups, so I tried it.
(http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chicken-enchiladas.html)

I had to leave out the green chiles because Grant does not like green chiles. He will eat Rotel, but mostly picks out the tomatoes & chiles. They were very good. Grant loved them, but they weren't spicy enough for Kevin, so I had to "kick them up a notch" as well as try to add a little more nutrient value.

Also, the second time I made them, I doubled the sauce because we do live in the South and my guys like everything smothered in gravy or sauce. A single batch is good, but they preferred it with more sauce.

This weekend, I put the enchiladas together (except the cheese) Saturday night & placed in refrigerator. Sunday morning I set them out on the counter before we left for church so they could come to room temperature. When we got home I just sprinkled cheese on top, put them in the oven while I made some taco rice and dinner was on the table in 30 minutes.

Here's my version of White Chicken Enchiladas.

 WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS 

10-12 soft taco size tortillas (use your favorite- corn, flour, wheat, etc)
2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can Ro Tel tomatoes, drained
2-3 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste (I used McCormick Hot Shot)
2 tablespoons chili powder (we like McCormick Spicy Mexican Chili Powder)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Mix chicken, tomatoes and 1 cup of cheese.

3. Put a couple of tablespoons of chicken mixture (more or less depending on how much chicken you want in each one) in tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in pan. Continue until pan is full.

4. In a sauce pan, melt butter, add onion and saute until onion is soft (about 5 minutes). Add flour and cook about 1 minute.

5. Add broth & milk, whisk until smooth. Add salt & pepper to your taste and chili powder and garlic powder. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

6. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

7. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

8.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chopped cilantro or parsley can be sprinkled on top if desired.

NOTE: To soften the tortillas, add a little more flavor and great health benefits, you can heat the tortillas in a little coconut oil. Just put a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a skillet. When it gets hot, place tortillas in one or 2 at a time, just for a minute or two on each side. When the start to bubble up, I flip them over. Let cool on paper towels a few minutes before assembling the enchiladas. It is worth a few minutes of your time for the added flavor and health benefits. In case you have been living on another planet and have not heard about the incredible benefits of coconut oil, here's a link to get you started. http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chicken-enchiladas.html
http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/

GLUTEN FREE/WHEAT FREE VERSION - Use corn or brown rice tortillas and gluten free flour. King Arthur makes a wonderful gluten free flour. 

Wishing you all blessings, joy, happiness and lots of love,

Lori

CHICKEN FAJITA RICE

People are always asking me how I have time to cook every night. Well, the truth is that I don't cook big meals every night. It really is just a matter of planning ahead. If your meat already cooked then it takes only a few minutes to whip up a healthy dinner. And at least one night a week we have turkey or chicken smoked sausage with sauerkraut which takes no more than 10 minutes. We also eat lots of salad and popcorn for dinner.

I buy meat in family packs. For instance, cook a family pack of ground beef, put 1/3 or 1/2 in a container for later and use 1/3 or 1/2 now. First night can be used for spaghetti, the next night or a few nights later, use the other 1/3 or 1/2 for fast & easy tacos, burritos, sloppy joes or pizza. I buy chicken breasts in the family pack, bake them all in the oven, then put 2-3 in Ziploc bags & freeze. When I cook roast beef, I always cook two. We eat one with potatoes, carrots and gravy, then later in the week I shred the other one and simmer with our favorite barbecue sauce. Or send one home with Cole. Before he got married, I sent lots of food home with him every weekend. And, of course, I enjoyed doing it.

Kevin has made great progress in eating healthier, but Grant is a whole different story. He is very picky, so coming up with something healthy that he likes is very challenging. Grant loves fajitas and he loves rice so a couple of months ago I had some leftover fajitas, cooked some brown rice, mixed them together and Grant ate it up. This has become a new family favorite and a regular in our dinner routine. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does.

CHICKEN FAJITA RICE

2   cups brown rice, cooked

2   cups (more or less) chicken fajitas, cut into bite size pieces

     (SEE PREVIOUS POST FOR FAJITA RECIPE)

1    can Ro Tel tomatoes

1/2  cup cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2  onion, chopped

Veggies – your choice (corn, peas, chopped zucchini, etc.)

Cook rice in microwave according to package directions.  While waiting for rice to cook, heat a little olive oil or coconut oil in skillet, add onion and your choice of veggies and sauté until veggies are soft.

Add chicken fajitas, rice, tomatoes and cheese to skillet with veggies. Mix together and heat until cheese is melted.

NOTE:  See previous post for chicken fajita recipe. This is a great way to use leftover chicken. You could also use a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store or buy the pre-cooked chicken fajita meat for a super fast & easy meal. But, making your own fajitas only takes about 20 minutes, you have control over the ingredients & it tastes sooooo much better.

Blessings to you all, 

Lori 

FABULOUS FRIENDS & FAJITAS

Since 1995, our family has camped for a week at Lake Texoma with my husband's dad, stepmom, siblings and their families. Grant was only 3 weeks old the first time he went camping. Luckily we all have RV's, so it's not roughing it too bad. It has been wonderful for our sons to spend an entire week with their cousins every year. They have made great memories. I don't like the heat, but I went every year while the boys were little. However, the last few years, the boys were old enough to take care of themselves and I only have 10 days of vacation at my current job, so I have stayed home and worked while the guys go play.

Kevin takes the dialysis machine and LOTS of bags of dialysis water and needles and gloves and all the other medical supplies with him to do dialysis in the RV. Since I was not going, his little brother, Brad, came over every weekend for a month so that I could train him to be Kevin's nurse. They would fish early in the mornings, then do dialysis in the afternoon when it was too hot to go outside anyway. I'm so thankful for Brad and glad that Kevin still got to spend time with his family.

I stayed busy every evening after work doing things that I don't have time to do because I usually have to run home as soon as I get off work and get him hooked up. I got a massage, got my hair done, spent one evening with my lovely BCF (best cousin forever) and her wonderful hubby, and spent a glorious evening with two of  my best friends celebrating a big birthday for one of them. I didn't get much rest, but I had so much fun all week long.

My friend, Fran, loves Mexican food. My other friend, Jaree, is trying to watch what she eats just like I am, so I made healthy Mexican food. We had chicken fajitas with whole grain tortillas, avocados and corn & cabbage salad. Fran's favorite dessert is coconut cream pie. I am not ashamed to admit that meringue intimidates me. I have made it and it turned out okay, but it stresses me out! However, my friend, Kathy, is one of the best pie makers in the universe!! Here is a picture of one of Kathy's incredible pies. She was nice enough to make a coconut cream pie for Fran. God has truly blessed me with the most incredible friends.

Now that you've read my ramblings, here is my recipe for fajitas. Bottled marinades can have HFCS or other sugars & lots of artificial & unnecessary ingredients. This marinade is very simple & uses ingredients that most people keep on hand. It works great with chicken, steak or shrimp. Making your own fajitas is easy, plus much healthier and less expensive than a restaurant.

FAJITA MARINADE

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup Lea & Perrin's worcestershire sauce        

1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

Whisk all ingredients together and pour over chicken, steak or shrimp. My favorite is a combination of all three. Place marinating meat in refrigerator and let set overnight or at least a few hours.

I make this up the night before (or in the morning before work) and when I get home from work it’s fast & easy to throw it in a skillet with a little hot oil, sliced onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.

Serve with your favorite tortillas & toppings. Add a side salad or veggies and you’ve got a delicious healthy meal. 

NOTE:  Lea & Perrin's is the most natural worcestershire sauce I have found. All of the other brands have HFCS & artificial junk in them. I actually wrote to Lea & Perrin's thanking them for making such a great product with great ingredients and they sent me several coupons. Woo hoo!

COCONUT OIL - If you are trying to use more coconut oil for the great health benefits, fajitas is a great way to get your coconut oil. Cook your fajitas in a little coconut oil. And put a little coconut oil in a skillet, when it gets hot, put your tortillas in the hot oil for 2-4 minutes on each side. It makes the tortillas absolutely delicious!

TANGY CHICKEN & APPLE SALAD

It's too hot to cook! Using a rotisserie chicken from your supermarket makes this chicken salad fast and easy. Apples and nuts add a nice crunch, while the spicy mustard, lemon juice and hot sauce add a little kick. And the hint of cream cheese makes it tastes indulgent. 

Using mayo with olive oil cuts back on the bad fats normally found in mayo and adds good heart healthy fats.

Time saving tip - I buy family packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts and bake on the weekends, then put 2-3 in ziplock bags and place in the freezer.

TANGY CHICKEN & APPLE SALAD

3 lg or 4 small chicken breast, cooked & shredded

1/4 cup chopped pickles (your choice) or relish

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1/2 apple, peeled & chopped (any kind)

Dressing:

3/4 cup mayo with olive oil

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp spicy brown mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp garlic powder

1-3 dashes hot sauce (optional)

OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds

In a large bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together until well blended. 

Add chicken, pickles, onions & apples and stir until well coated with the dressing. 

Can be eaten immediately, but I prefer to make this up the night before and have it for lunch the next day. Delicious on whole grain bread, croissants or a bed of romaine lettuce. 

I hope you like it! 

Lori 

PEPPERONI PIZZA BALLS

THESE ARE NOT HEALTHY.  However, they are very tasty and a great crowd pleaser for a party. 

My sons LOVE sausage balls. When they were younger, I would make double or triple batches on the weekends, put them in ziplock bags & put in the freezer. It was so easy to grab a few out of the freezer, wrap them in a paper towel & microwave for them to eat in the car on the way to school or babysitter. During their teenage years, our house seemed to be overflowing with teenage boys all the time. And teenage boys are always hungry! I came up with the idea of combining sausage balls and pepperoni pizza together.  These quickly became a favorite of my sons and their friends. 

PEPPERONI PIZZA BALLS

2 lbs ground beef OR 1 lb ground beef & 1 lb sausage

4 cups Bisquick

1 pkg Lipton Savory Herb & Garlic Soup mix

1 cup marinara sauce

1/2 pkg Hormel pepperoni (chopped)

12 oz shredded Italian cheese

a few sprinkles of grated parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly using your hands. Roll into golf ball size balls and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. The bigger the balls, the longer they need to cook. If your balls are smaller, they won't need to cook as long. 

NOTE:  For a healthier alternative - ground beef and sausage can be replaced with ground turkey and turkey sausage. However, if you are using all turkey, you probably should add 1/4 more marinara sauce to keep them from being too dry. 

You can also omit the pepperoni or use Tofu pepperoni. 

I hope you all have a safe and happy Independence Day. God bless America and keep all of our soldiers safe. 

Lori  

WHOLE GRAIN SUGAR FREE BROWNIES

If you just can't past the idea of eating black beans as brownies, here is another recipe using oat flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Again, I have just taken out the white flour and sugar and replaced them with whole grains and NATURAL sweeteners with zero or very low glycemic index. And if you have not heard about the amazing health benefits of coconut oil, just google it and start reading. After researching coconut oil the last couple of months, I am convinced that coconuts are one of God's greatest gifts to the human race.

WHOLE GRAIN SUGAR FREE BROWNIES

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil (OR you can use 1/2 cup butter)
1 cup Ideal or Stevia (OR 1/2 cup Stevia + 1/2 cup coconut sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 square baking dish.

Melt butter and coconut oil either in a large glass bowl in microwave or in large saucepan on stove. When butter and oil is melted, stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Add cocoa, flours, salt and baking powder and mix well. Do not over stir. Batter should be a little lumpy. If you over stir brownies, they come out tough.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Do not overcook.
TIP - It's always better for brownies to be undercooked, than overcooked. When you overcook them, they get hard and dry.

Have a blessed day!

Lori